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Media Jobs Monthly Newsletter

As the demand for many positions continues to grow, the competition for talent becomes tougher and tougher. When hiring for one of these high-demand positions, it would be a shame for employers to lose top candidates by making silly mistakes.

For example, ERE.net believes the biggest mistake recruiters make is hiring candidates by their years of experience. Sounds strange, right? In fact, it's probably better to go for the person with two years of great experience and the motivation to learn, than for someone who merely spent five years in his previous position. After all, who's to say that those five years were actually spent learning skills or helping the company move forward?

Another mistake could be bombarding candidates with a panel interview. Sticking applicants in front of a firing squad can cause them to panic and come off as less qualified than they really are. It can also scare them away from your company all together.

The final mistake I will bring up is hiring someone who will not fit in well with your company. Try to avoid hiring those who seem to merely be 'good enough,' and instead look for the five traits that all new hires should have. Then again, if a candidate isn't responsible or ambitious, I don't know who would want to hire them. Do you?

Jessica Carlson
Client Services Associate

Unemployment Rate Falls to 7.8 Percent, a 44-Month Low (BLS)
The unemployment rate has dropped below 8 percent for the first time in almost four years, and the economy added 114,000 jobs in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced.
High-growth industries included healthcare, transportation and warehousing, and financial activities.

Two Media Jobs You'll Have a Hard Time Filling (The Hiring Site)
CareerBuilder has posted a list of 10 jobs for which demand has skyrocketed over the past year. Both "social media manager" and "video editor" have grown by at least a third in just the past year. In fact, demand for social media managers has grown by nearly 50 percent. Yikes!

The Comeback Kids - The Great Value in Hiring Returning Employees (TLNT)
Returning employees have been branded as disloyal, but think about it, says HR expert Jacque Vilet. "Former employees have seen what’s out there in the world and have chosen to return." That's big. Why not make it easy for former employees to return to you?

The Most Classic Hiring Mistake (ERE.net)
If one year's experience is good, then five is better, right? Unless that five years' experience "adds up to just one year's bad experience repeated five times." Why looking for the experienced candidates is sometimes a huge mistake.

Four Signs You Need a Talent Network (The Hiring Site)
"Workforce planning" isn't just something "large" companies do, according to CareerBuilder's Jennifer Seith. If you're losing candidates to competitors, your turnover is through the roof, or you're short on time and resources to hire, a talent network might be just the thing for you. Here's why.

What Recruiters Can Learn from the TV Industry (ERE.net)
Recruiting is a lot like pitching a show to TV execs, writes Erin Palmer. Here's one tip from the article: Just as writers pitch specific TV show ideas, you need to pitch a specific job with a specific type of candidate in mind. Lose the generic qualifiers like "good communication skills" and top performers will feel like you're speaking to them.